KHAIRY SHALABY, born in Kafr al-Shaykh in Egypt’s Nile Delta in 1938, has written seventy books, including novels, short stories, historical tales, and critical studies. The Lodging House was awarded the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2003. ADAM TALIB is the translator of Mekkawi Said’s novel Cairo Swan Song (AUC Press, 2009).